The apparatus and method described in Pesavento and Strawbridge U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,665 teach the manner in which absorption spectroscopy can be successfully used in the testing of chemical solutions, and particularly electroplating solutions. Work with the optrode taught in that patent has suggested means for optimizing the optrode. Other prior work is represented by a fiber optic luminescence measuring system taught in Brogardh U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,154. The present literature does not describe another system which utilizes a collimated light beam remote sensor to generate a signal for analysis by the absorption principle.